We flew into Auckland and had just over two weeks exploring the North Island. We decided to hire a car so that we could take our time and see the places that we wanted to. After spending a couple of days in Auckland, our first stop was Rotorua, an area known for its geothermal activity. As New Zealand lies on a fault line - where two of the Earth's plates meet - it has huge mountain ranges, volcanoes and occasionally big earthquakes. Rotorua is an area where heat and gases escape from beneath the ground. Sometimes it escapes into the air and in other places it escapes in water or mud. We saw lots of bubbling pools and some huge geysers where the gas escapes with such force that it causes a huge spray of water! The gas is called sulphur and is very smelly - in fact lots of places in town smelt of rotten eggs!

One of my favourite experiences on the North Island was a one day hike called the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, near Turangi. We set off bright and early, well prepared for all kinds of weather. The walk passed between huge mountains and active volcanoes and had incredible views of the surrounding towns and countryside. It was really hard work in places and definitely a challenge but the views made it all worthwhile. On the way up we passed Mount Ngauruhoe, more famously known as Mount Doom from the Lord of the Rings. That's the volcano you can see in the photograph below. On the way back down we passed the Emerald Lakes which were an unbelieveable colour, apparently caused by the minerals in the ground.

We crossed the Cook Strait to the South Island by ferry and had almost a month there, walking, cycling, kayaking and seeing the sights. First stop was Abel Tasman National Park in the North West of the Island. Here, we camped on a stunning beach for two nights, went on lots of long walks and spent a day kayaking with seals which was incredible. They swam all around our boats, diving under one side and popping up on the other! We tried not to get too close because we didn't want to disturb them (and because they were quite big and noisy!) but they seemed to be intrigued by us!

Another favourite place was Franz Josef where we were lucky enough to be able to hike on a glacier - a huge mass of ice. We had to wear crampons on our boots - huge metal spikes which helped us grip on the ice - and have a stick for balance. Again, the views from the glacier were amazing and it was great fun exploring all the hidden chambers and stepping across crevasses underfoot. In places the ice looked grey due to the rocks and debris it was carrying, and in other places the ice looked bright blue because it was so densely compacted.